CourseCast of the Week

Episode 0047, 05/03/2008

Title/Description: CourseCast 47: HP’s Memristor, Google and IBM, iPhone II

Welcome to Course Technology's CourseCast of the week, Episode 47, recorded May 3rd, 2008. This is Ken Baldauf bringing you this week's technology news and information. This CourseCast is brought to you by Course Technology. Check out www.course.com for innovative textbooks and creative electronic learning solutions.

Story 1 - HP's Memristor

Hewlett-Packard researchers have proved the existence of "the fourth fundamental circuit element in electrical engineering" - the memristor. The existing three fundamental circuit elements are the resistor, the capacitor, and the inductor. Leon Chua hypothesized 40 years ago that there could be a fourth fundamental electronic circuit element that functioned in a fashion similar to the way that synapses work in a brain. In a paper published in Nature magazine, four HP researchers discuss their creation of a mathematical model and physical example that proves that Leon Chua's concept can be made a reality. Developing processors with memristor could lead to computers that instantly boot up, providing access to most recent activities. Memristors would require very little power, dramatically increasing battery longevity. Memsistor would also provide a springboard for artificial intelligence, providing computers that would interact with humans in a more intelligent and human fashion. In short - HP's findings have huge implications for the future of computing.

HP Lab Creates Revolutionary New Form of Memory (NewsFactor)

Story 2 - A Strong Partnership

Google and IBM are joining forces to develop the software, hardware, and infrastructure to make Cloud computing a reality for the enterprise and individuals. The two companies announced their intentions at IBM's Business Partnership Leadership Conference in Los Angeles. "Cloud computing is the story of our lifetime," Google CEO Eric Schmidt said. "Eventually all devices will be on the network." Cloud computing is a term for Internet delivered software and online data storage. This new relationship struck up by these two companies creates somewhat of an odd couple, with Google perceived as a next wave tech company and IBM considered ‘old skool’. However, analysts predict that the collaboration will yield profitable results for both companies, allowing them to dominate the burgeoning Cloud Computing market. Needless to say, Microsoft isn't pleased.

IBM, Google Will Collaborate on Cloud Computing (NewsFactor), Google, IBM Join Forces To Dominate 'Cloud Computing' (Information Week)

Story 3 - AT&T Prepares for iPhone II

The new 3G iPhone is rolling out next month, and AT&T is planning to make you an offer you can't refuse. Several sources are reporting that AT&T will be providing a $200 subsidy, bringing the price of the 2nd gen iPhone down to $199 - with a two year contract, of course. As is typical prior to new Apple releases, speculations about the new device are running rampant. Apple has acknowledged that the new iPhone will work on fast 3G data networks - which will be a big improvement over the original iPhone for users in 3G coverage areas. It’s also fairly certain that the new iPhone will have two cameras, one on either side, to support video calls. A few have speculated that the new iPhone will include GPS. A French blog posted photos of what it claims is the new iPhone – it’s sleek and all-black. Time will tell which of the speculations are on-target.

Meanwhile AT&T is delaying the release of the 3G Blackberry smart phone on its network until after the new iPhone is released, giving the iPhone a huge advantage in business markets.

AT&T Reported Ready To Offer 3G iPhone, Starting at $199 (NewsFactor), Next-gen iPhone spotted in the wild? (Engadget), Launch of RIM's 3G BlackBerry faces delay: report (Reuters), Why AT&T May Deep-Discount the iPhone (Business Week)

And that brings us to News Briefs…

  • After a three month stand off filled with rumor and speculation, Microsoft has withdrawn its bid to acquire Yahoo. It is expected that the value of stock in both companies will suffer due to the decision. (New York Times)
  • A German company has created a chip that will allow cell phone users to send scented text messages. You heard me right. Text messages that smell. (The Local)
  • Last week, Cubans were given their first opportunity to legally purchase and use personal computers (Engadget)
  • Big excitement for gamers last week when Grand Theft Auto 4 hit the streets. (Reuters)
  • A U.S. District Court Judge has rejected the basis on which the RIAA sues individuals, mostly college students, for sharing copyrighted music. The decision could shut down P2P music-download lawsuits. (NewsFactor)
  • Apple has won the right to make movies available in iTunes the same day they’re released on DVD. (NewsFactor)
  • Purdue will install the largest supercomputer on a Big Ten campus in one day. It will take 200 employees to pull off the feat, which will allow researchers to commence research with little delay. (Inside Indiana Business)
  • Yahoo Banner ads are responsible for exposing visitors to fraud-ware and malware over the past few weeks. (CyberInsecure)
  • Happy 30th birthday Spam! The first unsolicited sales pitch was sent over Arpanet May 3rd, 1978. (NewScientistTech)
  • Xerox has developed reusable paper for printers. A kind of disappearing ink is used that allows one page to be reused hundreds of times. (green technology forum)
  • U.S.CERT – That’s the Computer Emergency Response Team, has recommended that users disable Javascript and ActiveX in their browser preferences to protect themselves from attacks launched from compromised Microsoft Web Servers. (Information Week)

That's it for this week's CourseCast. Links to this week's stories and many more news and information resources are provided at the CourseCast Web site at www.course.com/coursecasts. E-mail us with your suggestions for the show at course.coursecasts@cengage.com. Until next time, have a great week and be sure to take advantage of the Power -- of Technology!